Jason Orton

Tinder Boxes

Joseph Wells Fireworks Factory, Dartford, Kent, 2007

This photograph was taken taken on the site of the former Joseph Wells Fireworks Factory, Dartford, Kent.

These corrugated iron sheds, which for obvious reasons were spaced apart from one another, survive in an overgrown landscape of elder bushes and buddleia. Nature is constantly re-appropriating these spaces, with branches reaching out through window slots and door frames.

How do structures like these feature in debates about what should be preserved in landscapes that are earmarked for regeneration. I would argue that they constitute an important part of the postwar history of Dartford marshes and should be preserved in some form.

Unfortunately, planners and developers frequently see landscapes likes these as blank canvases that can be cleared or leveled flat. The specifics of place are something they would prefer not to have to deal with.